Alexander Lernet-Holenia
Alexander Lernet-Holenia was an Austrian writer born in Vienna on October 21, 1897. His diverse literary career spanned over fifty years, encompassing poetry, fiction, and plays. After experiencing the abandonment of his military father in childhood, he adopted his mother’s maiden name, Holenia. His participation in both World Wars profoundly shaped his writing, particularly in the themes of identity and the human condition. Lernet-Holenia began his literary journey with poetry but soon expanded into playwriting, producing both tragedies and social comedies that garnered critical acclaim. In the later part of his career, he focused on fiction, with notable works like "Die Standarte" and "Der Baron Bagge," often reflecting on Austria's history during World War I. Throughout his life, he received several literary awards, including the Kleist Prize and the Great State Prize for Literature. He served as president of the Austrian PEN Club from 1969 to 1972 and passed away on July 3, 1976, leaving a lasting impact on Austrian literature through his innovative writing style and themes.
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Alexander Lernet-Holenia
Playwright
- Born: October 21, 1897
- Birthplace: Vienna, Austria
- Died: July 3, 1976
- Place of death: St. Wolfgang, Austria
Biography
Alexander Lernet-Holenia was born Alexander Lernet in Vienna, Austria, on October 21, 1897. In a career that lasted more than five decades in the middle of the twentieth century, Lernet- Holenia produced numerous books of poetry and fiction, as well as plays.
Abandoned by his miltary father as a young child, he added his mother’s maiden name, Holenia, to his surname. He served in both World War I and World War II, and the experience of war deeply affected his writing. After World War I, he began writing poetry but in a few years also began to turn out plays, both tragedies, such as Demetrius: Haupt- und Staatstaktion, and social comedies, like Ollapotrida: Kömedie in zwei Akten. His plays found popular and critical success.
After 1930, Lernet-Holenia increasingly turned to writing fiction, and many of his stories and novels in the following decades are set in Austria around the time of World War I. Die Standarte (1934; The Glory Is Departed, 1936) and Der Baron Bagge are set during that war and are probably his finest novels. Lernet-Holenia was obsessed with questions of identity and the interval between life and death.
Lernet-Holenia married Eva Volbach in 1945. He won many literary awards during his long career, from the Kleist Prize in 1926 to the Great State Prize for Literature from Austria in 1961. He was president of the Austrian PEN Club from 1969 to 1972. He died in St. Wolfgang, Austria, on July 3, 1976. Lernet- Holenia was a vital influence in Austrian letters for many decades, both for his elegant writing style and for his exploration of new types for literature.